Billie shook her head once more then leaned in to whisper in Cat's ear, "I'll expect payment in the shower this morning."
Cat grinned from ear to ear. The shower was one of her favorite places to make love to her wife. The possibilities were endless.
"Well if you two are done with your foreplay, we should be headed back. Everyone else has been up, dressed and fed for about an hour now," Jo informed them.
"How did you know where to find us?" Cat asked.
"Well, this is exactly where I would have brought Alex if we were about forty years younger. Lucky guess, I suppose. Be grateful I found you and not Jim," she added as they headed back to the house.
"Grandma Jo, do you think he'll ever come around?" Billie asked. "I mean, we all go home tomorrow. If we haven't changed his mind yet, I'm not sure we ever will."
"Well, I guess you have to ask yourself if it matters if he accepts us…or not," Jo reasoned.
"For Mom's sake, I think it matters," Billie replied solemnly.
"Well then, for your mom's sake, I hope he does," Jo replied as she locked arms with Billie for the walk back to the mansion.
***
Billie and Cat returned to their room through the back staircase leading from the kitchen to the upper stories. They were in such a state of disarray, they wanted to avoid the stares and ribbing that would most certainly have come if the family had seen them. As it was they had to endure Maggie's clucking as they passed through the kitchen.
After a very long shower, Cat and Billie donned T-shirts and shorts, and climbed into bed to snuggle for a while. Cat spooned herself behind Billie's taller frame, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist and kissing her lightly between the shoulder blades.
"Cat," Billie whispered.
"Hmm?" Cat replied.
"I love you."
Cat smiled into Billie's back and kissed her again.
"I love you too," she whispered back before drifting off to sleep.
Some time later, the ladies found themselves awakened by two small bodies perched on top of them.
"Grrrrrrrrr," Billie said under her breath.
Giggling.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr," she said again, this time, starting to stir.
More giggling.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!" she said one more time, rearing up and capturing the children, pulling them down between Cat and herself and pinning them with her weight. By this time, Cat was fully awake and quite ready to participate in the capture.
"Mama Bear, what do we have here?" Billie said in a deep gravely voice.
"Looks like dinner to me, Papa Bear," Cat replied.
The children squealed with delight.
"Do you think we need to cook them first?" asked Papa Bear.
"Nah, let's eat them raw!" replied Mama Bear.
The two bears proceeded to tickle the little intruders with tiny nips to their bellies.
After several moments of torture, the two ladies collapsed on top of the children, wrestling around with them until the little girls had managed to position themselves on top, straddling the adults.
"Okay! Okay, we give up!" Billie said to Skylar and Lisa, Bridget's youngest daughter.
"What do you rugrats want?" Cat asked, pinned to the bed by Lisa.
"Grandma and Nana sent us to look for you. Said you been sleepin' long enough," Skylar related.
"Well, they're probably right," Billie said. Looking over to Cat she added, "Whaddaya think Mama Bear? Do you think hibernation is over?"
"Yep, I think it is, and besides, you need a shave, Papa Bear," Cat replied, grinning.
"Why you...," Billie said, lunging to grab Cat who moved just beyond her reach and rolled off the bed, running out of the room behind the squealing children.
***
The family gathered on the side lawn to celebrate one last afternoon of fun before they had to migrate home the following day. With twenty-two people, they easily had two complete waffle ball teams, and quickly proceeded to split into two groups. For the next few hours, they played ball, no one really taking the game very seriously, adults bumbling the plays when the younger children managed to hit the ball. The game ended with scores that resembled football more than baseball. By late in the afternoon, everyone was thoroughly exhausted, but elated with the camaraderie and sense of family that pervaded the atmosphere.
Maggie outdid herself once more with an elaborate cookout, which the family enjoyed while the children played croquet and the adults lounged by the pool. Billie and Cat were in the pool with Dylan and Drew, hitting a beach ball back and forth, while the rest of the adults were reclining in loungers or visiting at nearby patio tables.
While passing the ball back and forth, Billie and Cat simultaneously lunged for the ball. Billie's hand grazed off the side of it and came down to accidentally hit Cat right in the side of the face. Cat immediately went down into the water, holding her hand to her face.
"Cat!" Billie exclaimed, reaching into the water to retrieve her injured wife. All eyes turned to the women as Billie pulled her up and profusely apologized for striking her.
"Cat, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," she said, kissing the spot where her hand had made contact with her wife's cheek.
"I'm all right, Billie. It was an accident. I'm fine," Cat said, but eagerly accepted the gentle caresses her wife was dishing out.
Billie leaned in and kissed her face once more, then placed a delicate kiss on her lips. "Forgive me?" she asked, looking directly into Cat's green eyes.
"Oh, for crying out loud! She said she was all right!" Jim suddenly proclaimed. "Christ! Your kind makes me sick sometimes!"
Alex gasped, reaching for Jo as she felt a faint coming on.
Total silence descended as all eyes turned to Jim. Laurel held her breath, disbelief clouding her features.
Billie moved away from Cat and hefted herself out of the pool, very near to where Jim was sitting. Dylan moved quickly to intercept her.
"What did you say to me?" Billie said, venom lacing her voice.
"Billie, no," Dylan said, physically holding his sister back.
"No, Dylan. Someone needs an attitude adjustment," she said.
"Then let me do it," he said.
Billie looked at her brother, remembering the favor she had asked of him earlier. Raising her eyebrows in question, she silently asked him to explain.
"I'm beyond caring if there are witnesses, Billie," he said. Turning to his father, he continued. "Dad, do you love me?" he asked.
Jim shifted his eyes from Billie to Dylan, confusion clouding them over. "What kind of question is that?" he asked.
"Just answer it. Do you love me?" Dylan asked again.
"You know that I do, son. I would die for you," he said vehemently.
"What if I told you I was gay, Dad. Would that change the way you feel about me?" He asked pointedly.
Drew, who had moved over to stand next to Cat, gasped out loud. "You are?" she asked. Cat elbowed her in the ribs.
"Dylan," Jim stammered.
"Answer the question, Dad," Dylan shouted, causing his mother to take a step forward. Ida promptly stopped her sister's advance with a hand on her arm.
Jim was totally confused. "Why...why no. It wouldn't change the way I feel. You would still be my son," Jim said, his voice cracking with emotion as his eyes darted around in a near panic state.
"Then why can't you accept my sister and my grandmothers?" Dylan asked. "For that matter, why can't you accept all gays? Why, Dad?" he said, once again raising his voice.
"Because they're evil. Don't you understand? They corner little boys in closets, and touch them, and make them do things that...oh, God. It wasn't my fault!" Jim exclaimed, falling to his knees, crying.
By this time, Billie and Cat both realized what was happening. Taking a quick step forward, Billie wrapped her arms around her stepfather and sank to the floor with him, holding his head against her chest. Ida released Laurel's arm at the same time that Cat climbed out of the
pool and approached the fallen man. Dylan fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his sister and father. Soon, the family of five knelt in a huddle, comforting the crying man in the center, while Jo and Alex respectfully ushered the rest of the family away from the patio, allowing the stricken family time and space to heal.
***
The sun rose far too early for the family the next morning, knowing that this was their last day together, probably for a long time to come. The atmosphere was solemn around the breakfast table. Even Maggie had tears in her eyes as she served the family their last meal together. After they were all seated and served, Jo and Alex stood together at one end of the long table and looked out over their loved ones. Jo cleared her throat. All eyes turned in the direction of the elderly ladies.
"Ah, I'm not very good at this, but I'll take a stab anyway," Jo began, as Alex wiped the corner of her eye with her breakfast napkin. "This past week has been one of the most wonderful that Alex and I can remember. Who would have thought that fifty years ago, when I met this magnificent woman," she said, taking Alex's hand, "that we would end up with such a wonderful family."
Josephine paused to take a drink of water and to compose herself before continuing.
"Some of us came together a week ago as virtual strangers, but will depart here as family, united in love...and make no mistake, Alex and I love each and every one of you deeply. A very big piece of our heart will leave with you today. Please don't stay away too long. God willing, Alex and I will be around for many more years, and we pray they will be years filled with the presence of those before us today," Jo recited.
Several sniffles were heard around the room. Billie reached for Cat's hand under the table and squeezed it tightly. Cat looked over at Billie and allowed a lone tear to run down her cheek.
Billie leaned in and kissed it away. "Don't cry, love. We'll be back," she whispered to her emotional wife.
Josephine continued. "As part of your assurance that we'll see you often, Alex and I have decided to invite the children to spend part of their summer vacations here each year. In fact," Jo said, raising her hand to quell the squall of excitement that started to arise around the table, "In fact, we'd like to make a one-week Fourth of July vacation mandatory for the whole family every year…complete with an Amazon bonfire. What do you say?" she asked, looking hopefully around the table.
A loud cheer broke out as the children started making plans with their favorite cousins for the next year's visit. The adults rose from their seats and circled Alex and Jo, hugging them vigorously and exchanging promises to attend. Finally, Jo raised her hands, signaling for quiet all around. When the room was silent once more, she turned to Alex and said, "Alex, was there anything you wanted to say to our family before Maggie serves breakfast?"
Alexandra inhaled deeply, then rose to her full height and looked around the room. "Josie agreed to do all the talkin' cause I'm just a big mushball when it comes to sayin' goodbye. But I do want to say one thing. The sayin' goes that you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives. Well, between you and me, I am so glad that it’s true, 'cause I can't imagine choosin' better relatives on my own. The gods were truly lookin' out for Josie and I when they picked y'all for us. We love you, and we're lookin' forward to doin' this again next year," she finished.
The room erupted once more in a barrage of cheers, hugs and kisses before the family finally settled down for their last meal together.
***
The rest of the day was spent in tearful goodbyes as each family departed for home, promising to stay in touch with each other and the elderly ladies from Charleston.
Goodbyes were especially bittersweet between Jim and the ladies. Since his breakdown the evening before, they had spent several hours talking and coming to an understanding about the trauma that had left Jim feeling the way he did about homosexuals. After much discussion, he came to realize that he had stereotyped all gays based on that one horrifying childhood experience with an abuser he assumed was gay, but was probably in fact, not. He came to realize that pedophilia was not a gay disease, and that in fact, most pedophiles are heterosexual men.
Jim acknowledged that he needed to be more open minded and accepting. Several promises were made by all parties to spend time together working out the issues and forming new bonds. Before departing, Jim and Laurel made plans to visit with their daughter and family, specifically for that reason.
***
Billie and Cat waved vigorously as their plane left the runway, stopping only after the plane became airborne. Sitting back in their seats, Cat reached out and took Billie's hand, kissing the back of it before pulling it in close to her heart. Looking at her wife, such love shone from her eyes that it took Billie's breath away. Billie saw something else there as well...something she questioned with her eyes.
Cat just smiled knowingly, and thought of the skimpy Amazon outfits she had tucked away into their bags, as the plane soared homeward.
Part II
For Better, Or For Worse
CHAPTER 15
She lay in slumber, oblivious to the watchful eye of the woman who silently feasted on her beauty...watching the rise and fall of her shoulders as she lay face down on the bed, arms tucked beneath the pillowy down that cushioned her face.
Oh, what I wouldn't give to be the down in that pillow, that I could cradle such beauty, she thought as she smiled and delicately drew one long finger down the length of the sleeping beauty's arm.
The sleeping woman twitched as the nerve endings on her arm registered the intrusion.
Leaning in, the dark-haired woman whispered, "I love you," as her lips made contact with the soft contours of her bedmate's cheek.
A tiny smile crossed the features of the sleeping woman as she subconsciously acknowledged the caress.
Continuing her game of hit and run, the woman reached over once more and brushed golden bangs off the forehead of her victim. "You are my heart," she whispered huskily.
An arm shot out from under the pillow to shoo away the bothersome contact...but still, she slept.
A wide grin spread across the woman's features at the redhead's reaction. Reaching forward yet again, she grasped the edge of the sheet covering the slim figure and gently tugged, stopping periodically as her victim stirred, allowing her to settle in again with a false sense of security before renewing her assault. Finally, she had the bedcover pulled down to the sleeping woman's waist, exposing a creamy expanse of naked flesh, dotted with the freckles of summer.
Throwing back her mane of dark hair, the woman closed her eyes and smiled to herself, remembering the passionate encounter the night before that was ultimately responsible for the golden-haired angel's state of undress. Fueled by the memories, she rose to her hands and knees, stalking her victim like a sleek, black panther, slowly crawling forward, being careful not to alert the sleeping woman with her presence. Finally, she hovered over her prey and straddled her...her creamy white skin was within a hair's-breadth of her own nakedness.
One final time she leaned in, her long dark hair falling forward to surround her in a veil of silkiness as its owner's lips delved into the crevice of the sleeping woman's neck.
The redhead suddenly arched her back upward in a cat-like fashion, moaning loudly at the pure sensuality of the invasion. Tilting her head to the left to allow greater access, she felt her lover's body lower over her own as the assault on her neck increased. The sensation of skin against skin was overwhelming on her naked back. Within moments she had trapped her lover beneath her, pressing her into the bed as she slipped her own arms under the pillow to gather her prey completely into her arms from behind.
"I love you, Billie," she moaned as she savored the feel of her lover above her.
"I love you too, Cat," Billie replied placing butterfly kisses across the side of her wife's face.
Pressing gently against Billie, Cat silently instructed Billie to release her so that she could roll over and greet her face to face. Rollin
g onto her back, she wrapped her arms around the Billie's neck, and pulled her down into a sensuous kiss, driving her tongue deep into her mouth.
"Good morning, my love," Cat said as she released Billie from their shared air space.
Billie smiled broadly. "Now that's a good morning kiss!" she exclaimed as she placed one more peck on the end of Cat's nose.
Cat traced her fingertips across Billie's brow and down both sides of her face. She could spend hours just looking at her wife's beautiful face...finely chiseled features, eyes the color of robin's eggs, hair as dark as night, and a smile that could light up a room with its presence. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the overwhelming love she felt to surge through her chest, manifesting itself in the form of a tear at the corner of each eye.
Billie watched the love in Cat's eyes spill out between pale lashes. Leaning in, she kissed the tears away, then lowered her lips to Cat's so that she could taste the saltiness of her own tears. "I love you so much, Kitten," Billie whispered.
Cat smiled as more tears escaped. "Why is that, Billie? How did I become so lucky as to have captured your heart?" she asked.
Billie propped herself on her elbows on either side of Cat's face. Looking down into twin pools of green, she smiled devilishly. "It wasn't luck, my love. You are a siren. I was helpless. You cast your spell on me the moment you walked into my aerobics class eight years ago. I was helpless to resist," she explained.
Cat suddenly became serious. She cupped the sides of Billie's face. "Any regrets?" she asked.
"Only one," Billie replied, drawing a worried expression from Cat. "That we didn't meet sooner," she replied.
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